Spring dispensing means



April 13, 1954 c. F. PENNY SPRING DISPENSING MEANS Filed Dec. 26, 1952 Rm W Wm. M

- @MJ/m nuvkmm( A m Patented Apr. 13, 1954 UNITED STATELS PATENT OFFICE SPRING DISPENSING MEANS Chester F. Penny, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to Underwood Corporation, New York, N. Y., a

corporation of Delaware 5 Claims.

The present invention relates toa device for dispensing spiral springs one at a time, and in its more particular aspects to such a device arranged to be operated by and forming the feeding means for a spring looping machine.

There are numerous instances where it is desirable to have a plurality of springs deposited horizontally one at a time at a station where a manufacturing operation is to be performed. One such instance occurs in certain forms of spring looping machines, wherein it is known to conduct unlooped springs end-to-end by gravity through a tube from which they are discharged into a hopper from whence they are fed one-byone into the looping mechanism. By having the lower end of the tube enter the hopper from the side, the springs are made to drop horizontally into the hopper and become aligned therein for horizontal movement through a passage in the bottom of the hopper.

The springs as fed to the looping machine have previously been cut to uniform length and the cutting operation sometimes produces burrs, so that as the springs are fed end-to-end through the tube leading to the hopper, the cut ends of abutting springs occasionally become tangled, so that aiter a spring leaves the tube, it does not drop down into the hopper but remains suspended in a position to block the tube and prevent other springs from coming through.

it is an object or this invention to provide a spring feeding or dispensing Nievice of the above type with periodically operating means to break up any entanglements which may occur, whereby the springs will be fed or dispensed without interruption due to accidental entanglement of one spring with another.

This further objects, features and advan tages will become apparent as the description of certain preferred embodiments of the invention proceeds.

Referring now to the drawing:

Figure l is a iront elevational view showing the mechanism of the present invention in normal position and showing also a portion of a spring looping machine of which said mechanism may form a part,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the parts in operated position,

Figure 3 is a side elevational View showing fully a feature of the invention which is only partially shown in Figures l and 2, and

Figure 4 is a side elevational view showing a modification.

This invention isillustrated as forming the feeding means for a spring looping machine such as described and claimed in my oopending application Serial No. 276,555, led March lll- 1952. As described in said application, urloojped spiral springs drop horizontally one-hymne from a hopper, generally indicated herein at it, into a series of slotted disks, shown in dotanddash lines and indicated generally at i E, irorn'whence they are shoved, rst one end and then the other, to position wherein they are operated upon by the looping mechanism, so that when the springs leave the looping machine they have a loop at each end, whereby they may be conveniently connected to whatever device they are to operate.

Since the details of construction of the spring looping machine do not forni a part of the present invention, the details have not been shown and it need merely be described that there are a pair of plungers I2 mounted in a reciprocating head I3, which plungers, as the head I3 moves to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1, shove the ends of the springs out of the disks Il and into position to be operated upon by the looping mechanism. The looping mechanism itself has not been illustrated, butsaid mechanism is oper" ated by a rotating shaft it, shown in section in Figure 3, which shaft is the shaft (it shown in the application referred to above.

The hopper it comprises a pair of verticallyl extending side plates i5 and It between which is fixed a U-shaped end wall I'I. A formed plate I8 is suitably secured between the side plates I5 and IB and forms together with the end wall Il, a narrow passage or slot within whichunlooped springs I9 become stacked, as shown in Figure 3 and as will presently be explained, from which said springs drop into the disks li.

Leading into the hopper lil is a tube tt. The tube 20 has its discharge end opening through the side wall it and extends outwardly ci the hopper in a substantially horizontal direction for a short distance and then slopes upwardly to a point substantially above the hopper.4 The unlooped springs i9 are fed endwise into the tube in any suitable manner `and move eridtoferniv down the sloping portion of the tube under the force of gravity. The weight of the springs in the sloping portion oi the tube is suicient to force the springs one at a time out of the horizontal portion thereof so that they will normally drop into the hopper.

In that form of the invention shown in Figure 4, a sloping plate 2l has a flange 2.2 connected to the side plate I5 of the hopper and extends between the side plates I5 and `I6 to conduct the spring dropping out of the tube into the narrow passage between the end wall I I and the formed plate I8.

In that form of the invention shown in Figures l, 2 and 3, a plate 23 on a pivotally mounted arm 24 extends between the side plates I5 and I6. The plate 23 extends behind the formed plate I8, as shown in Figure 3, so that after a spring I9 leaves the tube it rolls down the plate 23 and instead of falling directly into the passage between the end Wall I'I and formed plate I8, becomes positioned behind the upper end of the plate I8 as shown at I 9. The arm 24 is pivoted at 25 to the side plate i5 of the hopper and is connected by a link 26 to an arm 2'! fast on a rockshaft 28. Also fixed to the rockshait 28 is an arm 29 having a roller 39 resting on a cam 3| fixed to the shaft I4. With this arrangement, it will be apparent that rotation of the shaft I4 will cause the plate 23 to swing upwardly and lift the spring i 9 over the upper edge of the formed plate I3, whereupon said spring will fall intcthe narrow passage between said formed plate and the end wall Il. ,As explained in the copending application hereinabove referred to, the shaft ill operates the looping mechanism; thus every time the looping mechanism is operated another spring is moved into position for dropping into the machine.

The springs are cut to proper length before being fed into the tube 23 and the walls I5 and I6 of the hopper are spaced apart a distance only slightly greater than the length of the springs, so that as the springs leave the tube they will be guided by said walls to their proper lateral position with respect to the disks II The cutting of the springs sometimes results in burrs being formed at the point where the cut is made and if two adjacent springs in the tube have burrs, the springs will sometimes become entangled, so that when a spring passes out of the end of the tube it will not drop into the hopper but its free end will be pressed against the wall I while its other end is held suspended by the next spring, with which it is entangled. Such a condition is shown in Figure l, and it will be apparent that as long as this condition exists no more springs can come out of the tube, the tube having an ins-ide diameter substantially greater than the diameter of the springs to permit free passage of said springs therethrough but the inside diameter not being suniciently great that two springs can lie side-by-sde in the tube. As the plate 23 swings within the hopper it passes in front of the discharge end of the tube and will press sideways against any spring which may be suspended within the hopper to thereby cause the suspended spring to become disentangled and permit it to drop.

While the movement of the plate 23 would ordinarily be sufcient to break up any entanglement, the present invention also provides means operating periodically to lift and move backwards in the tube the spring which would be the next to be discharged. This upward and backward movement of the spring still in the tube will ordinarily be sufficient to break up any entanglement and when the spring in the tube is subjected to this action at the same time that the spring which has moved out of the tube but failed to drop is subjected to the action of the swinging plate 23, even the most extreme entanglement will be broken.

Forl imparting this upward and backward movement to the spring still in the tube, the following provision has been made. A slot 32 is provided in the bottom of the tube at ai point beneath the spring I9 which would be the next to leave the tube and a pawl 33 has a pointed end normally positioned within said slot but not extending into the tube to impede the free passage of springs therethrough. This condition of the pawl 33 is shown in Figure 1.

The pazwl 33 is pivotally mounted on one arm of a two-armed lever 34, which lever in turn is pivotally mounted at 35 on a bracket 36 extending outwardly from the side plate I6 of the hopper. The lever 34 is provided with a shoulder 31 normally held in abutment with a stop 38 by a spring 39 anchored at one end to said stop and at the other end to said lever. A compression spring 49 extending between a socket in the lever 34 and a tab 4I on the pawl 33 urges said pawl in a counterclockwise direction. The springs 39 and 49 normally hold the lever 34 and pawl 33 in the positions shown in Figure 1, with the end of the pawl abutting the left hand end of the slot 32,

The lever 34 is provided with a rounded end 42, and every time the plunger carrying head I3 moves forward during the spring looping operation, said head strikes the rounded end of the lever and rocks said lever in a clockwise direction about its pivot 35. This rocking of the lever 34, together with the action of the compression spring 4E causes the pointed end of the pawl 33 to rst move upwardly into the tube 20 and raise the spring i9 which is over the slot 32 and the pointed end of the pawl then digs in between a pair of adjacent coils of the spring, as indicated in Figure 2, and shoves said spring a short distance away from the discharge end of the tube. As the pawl 33 moves the spring in the tube away from the discharge end of said tube, any spring which may have been suspended in the hopper in position to block the tube, as hereinbefore explained, will be relieved of the force of the spring in the tube, and the rearward and upward movement of the spring in the tube will ordinarily be suiiicient to break up any entanglement which may exist, whereupon the spring in the hopper drops down and no longer blocks the end oi the tube.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A device for dispensing springs of substantially equal length and uniform diameter one at a time comprising, a hopper, said hopper having a pair of opposed walls spaced apart a distance only slightly greater than the length of the springs to be dispensed, a spring delivery tube having a discharge end opening through one of said walls near the upper portion thereof, said tube extending outwardly from said wall for a short distance and then sloping upwardly to a point substantially above said hopper, said tube being adapted to be iilled. with springs in end-toend relation, said springs moving by gravity down the sloping portion of said tube and being forced out of the discharge end thereof by the weight of the springs in the sloping portion, said tube having an internal diameter substantially greater than the diameter of the springs but not great enough that two springs can lie side-by-side therein, said springs normally dropping into said hopper when they leave the tube but sometimes becoming entangled with the oncoming spring in which case the spring which leaves the tube has its free end pressed aga-inst the opposing wall of said hopper and does not drop but prevents any more springs from being moved out of the tube, periodically operating means to lift and move backwards in said tube the spring which would be the next to be discharged, said means serving to unloosen any entanglement which may have occurred and to relieve the spring which has left the tube of the force of the springs still in the tube, whereupon the spring which has left the tube will drop into said hopper, and means in the lower portion of said hopper forming a narrow passage in which said springs become horizontally positioned for being dispensed one at a time.

2. A device for dispensing springs of substantially equal length and uniform diameter one at a time comprising, a hopper, said hopper having a pair of opposed walls spaced apart a distance only slightly greater than the length of the springs to be dispensed, a spring delivery tube having a discharge end opening through one of said walls near the upper portion thereof, said tube extending outwardly from said wall for a short distance and then sloping upwardly to a point substantially above said hopper, said tube being adapted to be iilled with springs in endto-end relation, said springs moving by gravity down the sloping portion cf said tube and being forced out of the discharge end thereof by the weight of the springs in the sloping portion, said tube having an internal diameter substantially greater than the diameter of the .springs but not great enough that two springs can lie side-byside therein, said springs normally dropping into said hopper when they leave the tube but sometimes becoming entangled with the oncoming spring in which case the spring which leaves the tube has its free end pressed against the opposing wall of said hopper and does not drop but prevents any more springs from being moved out of the tube, a pivotally mounted plate periodically swingable in said hopper across the discharge end of said tube to thereby dislodge any spring which has left the tube but has not dropped because of being entangled with the oncoming spring, and means in the lower portion of said hopper forming a narrow passage into which said pivotally mounted plate moves said springs after they have dropped from the end of the tube.

3. A device for dispensing springs of substantially equal length and uniform diameter one at a time comprising, a hopper, said hopper having a pair of opposed walls spaced apart a distance only slightly greater than the length of the springs to be dispensed, a spring delivery tube having a discharge end opening through one of said walls near the upper portion thereof, said tube extending outwardly from said wall for a short distance and then sloping upwardly to a point substantially above said hopper, said tube being adapted to be filled with springs in end-toend relation, said springs moving by gravity down the sloping portion of said tube and being forced out of the discharge end thereof by the weight of the springs in the sloping portion, said tube having an internal diameter substantially greater than the diameter of the springs but not great enough that two springs can line side-by-side therein, said springs normally dropping into said hopper when they leave the tube but sometimes becoming entangled with the oncoming spring in which case the spring which leaves the tube has its free end pressed against the opposing wall of said hopper and does not drop but prevents any more springs from being moved out of the tube. periodically operating means to lift and move backwards in said tube the spring which would be the next to be discharged, means in said hopper movable across the discharge end of said tube simultaneously with the operation of said periodically operating means and cooperating therewith to dislodge any spring which may have left said tube but has not dropped because entangled with the oncoming spring, and means in the lower portion of said hopper forming a narrow passage in which said springs become horizontally positioned for being dispensed one at a time.

4. In a spring looping machine having' reciprocating and rotating elements operating in timed relation to one another and so constructed and arranged as to cooperate in looping the ends oi springs, a hopper for containing unlooped springs and having means forming a slot in the bottom thereof through which unlooped springs drop one by one into the looping mechanism, a tube extending from a point above said hopper and opening at its lower end into said hopper, said tulbe having an inside dia-meter substantially greater than the diameter of the springs which are to be looped but no-t great enough that two springs can lie side-by-side therein and adapted to conduct springs therethrough in end-to-end relation and discharge them into said hopper, means forming a slot in said tube near the lower end thereof, a pawl having an end extending into said slot but said end not normally extending far enough into said tube to impede the free passage of springs through said tube, means operated by a reciprocating element of the spring looping machine to move the end of said pawl into said tube and in the direction away from the lower end of said tube, whereby said pawl will move any spring which may be positioned adjacent the slot in said tube away from the lower end thereof.

5. In a spring looping machine having reciproeating and rotating elements operating in timed relation to one another and so constructed and arranged as to cooperate in looping the ends of springs, a hopper for containing unlooped springs and having means forming a slot in the lbottom thereof through which unlooped springs drop one-by-one into the looping mechanism, a tube extending from a point above said hopper and having a discharge end opening into said hopper, said tube being adapted to conduct springs therethrough in end-to-end relation whereby they will normally drop one-by-one into said hopper but said springs sometimes becoming entangled so that even though a spring passes out of said tube it will not drop into the hopper, a device operated periodically by a reciprocating element oef said machine to move backwards in said tube the spring which would ibe the next to be discharged, a member movable by a rotating element of said machine across the discharge end of said tube, said device and said member being simultaneously operated to thereby release the spring which may have become entangled and failed to drop into the hopper after passing out of the tube.

No references cited. 

